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2008 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 477
Commending Cecil E. McFarland.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 29, 2008
Agreed to by the Senate, March 6, 2008

 

WHEREAS, Cecil E. McFarland has devoted his life to the ministry and to helping people in need through his work as a military chaplain, an executive with Goodwill Industries, and most recently as the president of Chaplain Service of the Churches of Virginia, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, a native of McClure in Southwest Virginia, Cecil McFarland graduated from Emory & Henry College in 1952 and earned a master’s in theology from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 1955; and

WHEREAS, over the next 15 years, Cecil McFarland served as the pastor for several United Methodist churches in Virginia and Tennessee, served as a Navy chaplain for a total of nine years, and had the opportunity to undertake a year of postgraduate study at the Harvard Divinity School; and

WHEREAS, Cecil McFarland’s time with the Navy included serving as chaplain for a destroyer squadron based in San Diego, senior chaplain on the USS Intrepid, senior chaplain at the Treasure Island Naval Station, San Francisco, and a year in Vietnam with the First Marine Division, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star; and

WHEREAS, in 1970 Cecil McFarland entered an executive training program with Goodwill Industries International and over the next 16 years, he served as executive director of Goodwill Industries branches in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Greenville, South Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Birmingham, Alabama; in 1986, he joined Goodwill’s corporate staff as director of membership services; and

WHEREAS, Cecil McFarland “retired” from Goodwill Industries in 1995, but since he does not really believe in retirement, he accepted the position of president with Chaplain Service of the Churches of Virginia, Inc., an ecumenical agency that has provided chaplains for the state prisons and state juvenile correctional centers since 1920; and

WHEREAS, a man of great faith, enthusiasm, and determination, Cecil McFarland has dedicated his life to providing spiritual guidance, practical support, and a kind word to people from all walks of life, and in the process he has touched the lives of thousands; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Cecil E. McFarland on his years of selfless service as a minister, chaplain, and Goodwill officer; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Cecil E. McFarland as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect and admiration for his commitment to and his faith in the lives and futures of his fellow citizens.